Kenya Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua declared a one-bar-per town order in what he hopes would cut down a huge alcohol problem, especially in his political backyard of Mt. Kenya.
Even though there has been no action to carry out the order, there are concerns about what would happen to one of the most thriving business sectors amidst the rising alcohol and drug abuse that has a prevalence as high as 23.8% in the East African country.
“(In regard to) bar and restaurant (businesses) let us give just one licence per town, the others let us shut them down […],†Gachagua said in January in Murang’a County, one of the worst hit areas in Mt. Kenya region where alcohol abuse has been a major burden.
According to the country’s anti-drug use agency – the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) – 12 out of 100 people in Kenya between the ages 15 and 65 consume alcohol. The rate is higher among younger adults (25-35) where 14% of them are users of alcohol.
Even though successive governments since 2001 have devoted time and resources to fighting illicit liquor – meaning brews made without a license and at unapproved places – the appetite for the frothy water has been growing over time.
Manufactured legal alcohol is imbibed by at least seven out of 100 people in Kenya. The rate is higher in urban areas, with Nairobi recording 10.3%. Informal statistics indicate that Nairobi alone has more than 2,000 bars.
In Central Kenya, alcohol remains one of the most popular pastimes among the adult population, especially men. NACADA puts the alcohol use there at 12.8%. It has now become a culture with several families reporting at least one alcohol user, sometimes to the extent of addiction.
Gachagua is concerned that the younger generation is under threat. “I plead with you to do your job and save these young people, please swing into action,†he told county commissioners in the area. “Let us deal with these issues and save the next generation, otherwise we have a problem as a community.â€